4 Essential Planning Strategies to Ensure You Write a Compelling Novel

Author: Sandy Vaile
First published on the Writers in the Storm blog 30/04/24.


You are in the right place if you are preparing to write a novel and want to set yourself up for success.

Whether you're a seasoned writer or taking your first steps into the world of fiction, one truth remains constant: successful storytelling begins long before the first words grace the page.

Beneath the romanticised notion of dreaming up an idea and penning a best seller, lies the reality that the path to a compelling story is paved with careful planning, deliberate choices and meticulous attention to detail.

But, forewarned is forearmed, as the saying goes.
If you are aware of what to expect from the writing process, you can focus on the exhilaration of creation instead of getting bogged down in uncertainty.

When preparing to write, consider:

• Solidifying a vague idea into a compelling concept.
• Understanding the boundaries of the project.
• Make a realistic plan to write the book.
• Understanding essential concepts so you don’t fall into common traps. 

Vague Idea to Compelling Concept

​Picture yourself in a cozy writing nook, bathed in the soft glow of a desk lamp, the faint scent of well-worn books in the air. Your fingers dance across the keyboard to the soothing backdrop of rain tapping against the windowpane. This is the joy of bringing imaginary worlds to life, but there are a few vital questions we need to ask ourselves before diving headfirst into writing.

Sculpting a vague idea into a compelling novel requires digging beneath that first spark of an idea to uncover the underlying themes, conflicts and characters that lie dormant.
To give all of the shiny ideas swirling through your mind a purpose, it helps to understand the following. 

Why do you want to tell this story?

Recognising what is driving you to tell a particular story helps clarify what you aim to achieve. Entertainment is rarely the only reason to write a story. Our beliefs and interests shine through the themes we choose to explore. Some authors want to open minds to a new way of thinking, other like to expose social inadequacies, or make a statement about corruption or unethical behaviour, or inspire others, or challenge commonly held assumptions.

Other reasons your “why” is important:

• When we have something to say about a topic, it influences decisions we make as we write and tethers everything in the story.
• When we’re passionate about topics, it gets us fired up to keep writing even when the going gets tough.
• By aligning our story with  our values and passions, it enhances our sense of purpose and satisfaction, also making it easier to imbue our unique voice into the book.
• We write for like-minded readers, so these motivations also help us connect what we want to say to our audience, compelling them to invest time between the pages we create. 

Whose story will this be? 

In my opinion, it’s vital to determine the focal point of a story. The ONE character whose story you’re telling.
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There might be other main characters with important roles, their own goals and motivations, but it’s that one character who determines what belongs in the story and what doesn’t. Everything serves to help or hinds their journey towards their goal.
This clarity creates a cohesive plot. 

What story are you telling? 

There are infinite possibilities for the direction of each idea, so knowing what aspects are important to you, will help narrow the direction of the narrative. Without a clear purpose, stories may meander aimlessly, lacking the resonance and depth needed to captivate readers.

Articulate the essence of the story through one or all of these:

• A story concept states central themes explored in the story, e.g. The Three Little Pigs premise might be that foolishness leads to death and wisdom leads to happiness.
• A dramatic question is a query that centres around the main character’s central conflict, which your story will answer by the end, e.g. Will Romeo and Juliet ever be together?    
• A story premise is a high-level paragraph of what the story is about at its core. It highlights details that are unique to this story, including who (main characters), what (conflict), where (location), when (if the era is important) and why (motivation, which also hints at the stakes).

      E.g. When Harry Potter discovers he’s a wizard and the chosen child, he not only has to
      learn magic but defeat the all-powerful ‘he who must not be named’.

Example 
See how I took the initial idea for my book Inheriting Fear and created a premise that guided the direction of the story.

• Idea – A tough, independent woman who rides a motorbike and is in danger from some bad people.
• Dramatic question – What if a fiercely independent woman had to rely on others to survive?
• Premise – A reclusive motorbike-riding chef is stalked by an enemy from her past and forced to rely on a cocky detective who thinks she’s his best suspect, to avoid becoming the next victim.

Understand Project Boundaries 

Once you’ve unearthed the essence of your story idea, it’s time to breathe life into it by fleshing out its key elements.

If you are a plotter, there are lots of decisions to make and brainstorming to be undertaken before you start writing. (If you are a pantser, most of this gets done in the second draft.)

Things like:

• Genre - Knowing your genre helps you can understand reader expectations and the specific conventions for that genre, e.g. structure, word count and world building.
• Point of View and tense - Which can be influenced by genre norms and personal preference.
• Central character goals – So you are clear about the external goals and internal desires that will motivate them to keep striving for their goal even when it seems impossible to reach.
• World building – This is especially if the story is set on a different planet or era, so it’s clear what the physical, magical, psychological, cultural, flora and fauna looks like. What rules guide characters, what myths and legends are important to them, what governing and commerce structures are in place, etc.
• Plot outline – Can provide a foundation upon which to build the narrative, or a structure for editing the first draft. Some authors like to know exactly where there story is going, others prefer to discover as they write, and many are a blend of the two methods.
• Starting point of the story - There are a variety of methods for choosing the opening scene, but the main goal is to immediately hook readers by showing the characters in action.

​It’s important to note that you shouldn’t stress too much at this point. Revisit this decision after writing the manuscript, because you’ll have a better idea of will draw readers into the story by then.

Make a Plan to Write 

Making a plan to get the job done might include:

• Tools or resources you need.
• Learning about story craft.
• Determining how much time you realistically have to dedicate to writing each week around work and family commitments. If you have a deadline in mind, calculate how many words you need to aim for each week.

A good formula for this is: total word count divided by weeks = word count goal per week.

• 80,000 ÷ 13 weeks (3 months) = 6,150 words per week
• 80,000 ÷ 25 weeks (6 months) = 3,200 words per week
• 80,000 ÷ 52 weeks (12 months) = 1,540 words per week 

Essential Novel Survival Concepts

Writing a novel is a challenging endeavour that requires dedication, persistence and resilience. Understanding what to expect and having realistic expectations certainly helps.

Here are a few realities to set your mind at ease. 

1.You are writing a ‘first draft’ and they are as messy and unruly as a teenager finding their way in the world.

• You won’t always know what comes next.
• You may write yourself into dead ends and spend weeks pondering a particularly gnarly plot problem.
• It’s all part of the process.

The only goal of a first draft is to get to ‘the end’, so push through until you have a whole, gloriously imperfect manuscript.
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2.Finishing a first draft is only part of the writing process.

• Revising is likely to take just as long because there will be plenty of problems to solve, research to be done and scenes to be moved or (God forbid) cut, and feedback to seek.
• Don’t underestimate how long it will take you to do countless rounds of edits.

3.DO NOT give up your day job with the belief that it’s easy to pen a best-seller and you’ll be able to replace your income with one book.

4.Gathering a community of like-minded authors around you can be invaluable when it comes to maintaining momentum.

• Whether you prefer to join a face-to-face or online group, or have a few author friends to supplement the support of friends and family, having people to bounce around ideas and enthuse about your wonderful characters with, is priceless.
• Seek out accountability buddies, support groups, critique partners and uplifting communities. And always come back to your purpose for writing this story.

Final Thoughts​

Immersing yourself in the purpose, characters and world of a story, provides a solid foundation to craft a compelling novel upon. Making a realistic plan to write the first draft will enable you to reach for tangible goals that suit your lifestyle. And by understanding key concepts surrounding the process, you can be better prepared to keep the joy or writing alive and make it to the next stage, which is revising. 


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If you want to turn your messy manuscript into an irresistible contemporary novel that publishers can't resist, join my Facebook group. It's brimming with lively discussions, free trainings, resources and events.